* Franchise/{{Batman}} is the DC's poster boy for this trope.--->'''Huntress:''' Did I just see you cheating?\\'''Batman:''' ''Winning.''** He does have two rules: [[DoesntLikeGuns no guns]], [[ThouShaltNotKill no killing]]. Everything else is fair game.** Alfred Pennyworth [[CharacterizationMarchesOn became this as the series progressed]], as the guy was a former S.A.S. soldier. And he has helped Bruce solve cases, invent new tech, heal his (both personal and Bruce's) own wounds, and managed to fight off thugs that would typically be more physically fit than him, as well as carrying extremely powerful firearms, with his ''[[BareFistedMonk bare hands]]''!! Though, he wishes to remain a harmless butler. It also says a lot about Alfred and how much Bruce likes him (even if he doesn't say it) that Alfred is the only member of the Bat-Family that consistently decides to carry a gun and Batman doesn't gives him crap.** Being this kind of character is half the reason ComicBook/TheJoker can threaten Batman toe-to-toe; the other half is [[AxeCrazy his enthusiasm in combat]].* The fight between [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] and ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} in ''DC vs. Marvel'', as seen in the Trope Image.* Rorschach from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': He uses several household items to give himself a chance to get away. To wit, he improvises a flamethrower with hairspray and a match as he flees upstairs, on the basis that people are reluctant to chase a psycho up a burning staircase. The first person up the stairs after him gets a handful of black pepper ''[[AHandfulForAnEye thrown directly into his eyes]]'' and his floundering gives Rorschach the time to draw his last weapon--his compressed-air-powered grappling-hook gun,** In the video game ''Watchmen: The End Is Nigh'', you can control Rorschach in battle. He's not nearly as skilled a fighter as Nite Owl (who uses an adapted form of martial arts), but he makes up for it with absolutely devastating strikes, and freely uses weapons, such as nightsticks, bottles, ''knives'' and '''crowbars''', which Nite Owl refuses to do.** Ozymandias fights dirty too. It's not immediately obvious, but he's perfectly willing to take advantage of any psychological weaknesses his opponent has and uses the environment for his own benefit. Of course, with ''him'', what looks like an ImprovisedWeapon was probably [[CrazyPrepared specifically placed right there hours ago]].*** During his final confrontation with [[spoiler: Rorschach]] he ''pulls his mask across his face'' to gain advantage. And people keep on harping about Dollar Bill's cape...* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, despite being a TechnicalPacifist, does this with acrobatic flair. He basically fights like Franchise/{{Batman}} with a sense of humor: nose tweaks, groin kicks, and distractions in the form of [[FoeYay ass smacks]] are not outside of his domain.* ComicBook/TheFlash. Being a single power SuperHero, he has learned how to use his super speed in resourceful ways, including RapidFireFisticuffs, [[TornadoMove Tornado Moves]], and the like. Hell, he even once utilized [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen's]] super spicy chili as a weapon against Captain Cold. Pragmatism indeed!!* There is not a force on Earth that can get Comicbook/ThePunisher to fight fair.** Lampshaded in an issue from the "Comicbook/WelcomeBackFrank" storyline of the early 2000's---->''When you're on your own, behind enemy lines, no artillery, no air strikes, no hope of an evac, you don't fight dirty. You do things that make dirty look good.''** Another example: Frank is chased by an enemy that is TheGunslinger and capable of dodging bullets. Frank's solution when he has to face off against him? ''Break out a machine gun'', betting that his enemy doesn't has the speed to dodge a barrage fired at 850 Rounds Per Minute. [[MultipleGunshotDeath He doesn't.]]* Vick "The Rain" from ComicBook/OneHundredBullets is not above fighting dirty and will even use his own allies as human shields.* Much of the GIJoe comic books involves this trope. Around issue #75, Tunnel-Rat emerges from a well, tunnel and mows down about ten Cobra soldiers from behind. An issue of ''Special Missions'' has one Joe save another by simply beating the hell out of a captured CIA prisoner for needed intelligence.** Despite being better known to the casual fan for his ninja ways, never forget that Snake-Eyes is an Army Ranger, and is more than happy to go for the grenades or machine gun as a ninja armed with melee weapons advances.* Comicbook/{{Cerebus}}, being a veteran mercenary, knows better than to fight fair. Early in the series, he was face-to-face with a rebel mastermind and as his opponent strode out onto a bridge, finally revealing his identity, Cerebus heaved a rock at his head, causing him to stumble off the bridge to his death. Afterward, this exchange took place:-->'''Lord Julius:''' ''That wasn't exactly fair, was it? I mean, he thought you were going to fight to the death with swords!''\\'''Cerebus:''' ''He is dead and Cerebus is alive... You can't get much fairer than that.''* Throughout his adventures, ComicBook/CortoMaltese does his share of kicking people in the nuts and shooting them in the back.* In the final issue of Tim Drake's [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]] series, he's forced to fight Lady Shiva. Tim knows that he's hugely outmatched, so he poisons her food two days before the fight with a heart-rate dependent neurotoxin.* The following exchange from a comic where {{Deadpool}} and one of the forgettable 90s X-Teams are facing a villain who can dampen mutant abilities:-->'''Mutant Super Hero''': All right, just because our powers don't work, doesn't mean we're helpless. We should engage him one-on one in hand to hand combat with our strongest fighters going first until he drops.-->'''{{Deadpool}}''': Or, hear me out here, or---->[[BoomHeadshot BLAM!]]-->We could do that.-->'''Mutant Super Hero''': You murdered him!-->'''{{Deadpool}}''': [[HiredGuns Yeah, I'll send you my bill for that.]]** Backfired once when Deadpool fought Kraven, by using guns on him Kraven decides that if Deadpool wants to cheat so will he and uses a laser on him.* Common for any protagonist created by Creator/WarrenEllis.** ''ComicBook/DesolationJones'' has the titular character lampshade his status as as a combat pragmatist. When attacked by a fearsome S&M clad bodyguard, Jones explains that the combatant who wins isn't the strongest but the one who cares the least for holding anything back. The sickly old man then [[EyeScream stabs his finger into the charging guard's eye socket]] and pulls him skull first into a wall, knocking him unconscious. He also makes liberal use of the GroinAttack.** In ''{{ComicBook/Planetary}}'', Elijah Snow's favorite combat maneuver is the GroinAttack, which he once pulled on {{Dracula}} himself. Combined with [[AnIcePerson his powers]], this means his opponents' laps tend to ''shatter''.** In ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'', Spider Jerusalem tends to make liberal use of his handy [[BrownNote bowel disruptor]], but isn't above pulling out a real gun if it comes down to it - or, of course, a [[RuleOfThree Groin Attack]].* Jesse Custer from ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' may want to be the good guy, but hell will never [[FightingDirty fight any way but dirty]]. The man really loves his {{Groin Attack}}s, right up there with getting in the first shot or using the environment to his advantage.* John Constantine the ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' is a dirty fighter, no matter how much he denies it. He's strong enough to fight a bar full of hooligans, but will keep in mind anything his hands can reach, such as bottles and chairs. Heck, he even once used a handful of wheat grain...yes, the thing in your cereals, to knockout a robber.* Iron First once went up against the Wrecking Crew, a team of superpowered baddies who each have the power of an Asgardian god. Iron Fist, when he's not using his trademark superpower, is basically just a highly skilled martial artist. The following exchange took place:-->'''Piledriver:''' You is just ''one'' super-punk and you're a ''skinny'' one at that! How you gonna hurt me?-->'''Iron Fist:''' There are ''ways.'' (Slams his hands over Piledriver's ears. Piledriver collapses in pain)-->'''Thunderball:''' Smart move, hero. That was probably the ''only'' way you could have hurt him.* Parodied in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} in Britain''. The Romans, observing that the... British take a regular break every afternoon to have tea, decide to attack at tea-time.* Bullseye once used his own tooth to kill a man. The tooth was spitted from his mouth and went through the guy's skull. He's even considering using his own feces as a weapon. Ugh!* ComicBook/MoonKnight is more than happy to use truncheons, knives and a spiked steel cestus in the [[BloodKnight fight]] for justice.** His occasional [[BelligerentSexualTension partner]] Marlene Alraune's fighting style seems to be: Find the [[ImprovisedWeapon sharpest object within reach]] and [[GroinAttack aim for the groin.]]* SpiderMan has been known to fight this way, using his webs to blind/restrain his enemies as well as finding all sorts of ways to humiliate them, specifically so they'll get angry and make mistakes. In the ''Ultimate'' series, he even gave Ox a ''wedgie''. Having been bullied in school, Spidey was of course, very ashamed of himself.* ''ComicBook/NikolaiDante'' is frequently described as the dirtiest fighter in the empire. For example, Nikolai ([[spoiler:a BadassNormal at this point]]) fights [[spoiler:Konstantin Romanov]], a man with powers that effectively make him a walking nuke, for the right to be Tsar. At the beginning of the fight, [[spoiler:Konstantin]] mentions that he should have shot him when he had the chance. Instead, Nikolai waits for the [[spoiler:custom virus he released into the arena to take hold, disabling Konstantin's fusion powers. He taunts and dodges powerless Konstantin for the next few minutes, and only shoots him just before his powers come back.]] Dirtiest fighter, indeed.* [[http://disneycomics.free.fr/Ducks/Rosa/show.php?num=3&loc=D92008&s=date This]] page of Comicbook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck.* Marv from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' is physically capable of handling most opponents in battle but often uses whatever he can get his hands on simply because he's that damn crazy. Case in point: using a nearby hatchet to shove into a cop's groin.* Lusiphur, the protagonist of ''Poison Elves'', almost never fights cleanly if he can help it. He isn't above such tricks as [[ISurrenderSuckers pretending to beg for mercy]] in order to get the jump on a superior opponent.* 2011 DC Universe reboot: [[Comicbook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan]] starts boasting to Franchise/{{Batman}} that with his ring, he can easily take down Franchise/{{Superman}}. By the time Batman blinks, Superman has {{Flash Step}}ped up to Hal and punched him out. Later in that same story, Hal finally figures out that Batman has no super-powers and begins immediately pointing out how absurd it is for a normal human to be in the situations the Justice League finds themselves in. Mid-way through his rant Batman pickpockets his ring.* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' when the Wolfriders are attacked without warning by Guttlekraw's trolls:-->There is no fairness, no grace, no nobility in the Wolfriders' method of combat. They obey but one rule: '''survive''' by any means, no matter how cruel or bloody.* [[GodOfEvil Anathos]] from ComicBook/LesLegendaires, despite being more than capable to defeat practically everyone without cheating (he once stopped [[HumanoidAbomination Jadina]]'s punch with ''one finger''), but will gladly make use of this trope if it makes things more practical, his duel with [[spoiler:Darkhell's and Elysio's fusion]] being the most egregious example:--->'''[[spoiler:Darkhell / Elysio]]''': It seems our forces still are equal in a fair fight.--->'''Anathos''': Who talked about a fair fight? (backstabs him with his flying sword)** Surprisingly subverted later in the story, where, after finding out the Legendaries are trying to ambush him, he ''intends'' to have his minions confront them rather than go fighting himself, but Calende shows up and advices him not to do so, commenting that it will result in him being remembered as a coward. As a result, he follows her advice and go to fight them in person with [[ThePsychoRangers his Hellions]].* Many of Marvel's heavy hitters such as The Hulk, The Thing, etc. will use whatever is available when goaded into a fight.** These heavy hitters sometimes also have to use their strength in creative ways on those rare occasions when they're facing someone with even more raw power than them. In the ''Future Imperfect'' one-shot TheIncredibleHulk was outclassed by the Maestro, his EvilCounterpart. The good Hulk evened the odds first by hitting the Maestro with a blatant GroinAttack, then by throwing ComicBook/{{Captain America}}'s shield into his chest (the shield is unbreakable, but Cap wasn't strong enough to throw it hard enough to injure the Maestro) and eventually [[spoiler:using Doctor Doom's time machine to transport the Maestro to ground zero of the same gamma explosion that gave Bruce Banner his powers, vaporizing the Maestro on the spot.]]* Despite having dangerous mutant powers and being trained extensively as a martial artist and staff fighter, Comicbook/{{Gambit}} will often cheat in his fights anyway. * The Mark Shaw version of Comicbook/{{Manhunter}} preferred to avoid even the fighting part. In his first comic, he ambushed Dr Alchemy after taking advantage of his fondness of redheads with 'balconies you could do Shakespeare off of'. Another time, he waited till The Penguin was in the bath.* ComicBook/WonderWoman does not feel bound to ThouShallNotKill, and so feels perfectly free to use deadly force if the situation calls for it.* The Comicbook/{{Fables}}, in the series of that name, are often quite pragmatic. In the first issue, Bluebeard tells Cinderella, during a fencing lesson, that "we train with ''real'' swords for ''real'' battles." And when [[spoiler: Geppetto]] challenges them, they are quite willing to use modern technology combined with magic to defend Fabletown from his forces, and then to turn the battle against him. Finally, when [[MamaBear Snow White]] calls [[SmugSnake Prince Brandish]] out for a sword duel, she takes a moment to kick off her high-heeled shoes, opting to fight in bare feet, unlike [[{{Fanservice}} many women]] in comics.* ''[[ComicBook/TheMultiversity Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1]]'':** Lady Shiva goes on about how the Blackhawk Squadron will never even realize she's cut them up and butchered them by the time she's done with them, when [[spoiler:they decide to just shoot Shiva as she's gloating.]]** When Doc Fate meets his counterpart Felix Faust, Faust attempts to pull a magical duel. Fate just [[GroinAttack kicks him in his balls.]] * ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':** Kryptonian heroes often hold back. Particularly Superman tries to fight 'fair' in order to provide a good example... but in a tough situation they will start to use their powers in many, many creative and nasty ways.** For instance, a Post-Crisis story had him facing a dire threat and Metallo was standing in his way for a fight. Superman contemptuously responds he has no time to deal with the cyborg twerp and simply blasts limbs off with his heat vision until he is a pile of limbs and moves on.** Getting Clark or Kara upset or angry is another way to encourage their "creativity". In ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #775 "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, & the American Way?" Superman shows a team of murderous anti-heroes that would happen if he embraced their methods and went all out. It's ''not'' pretty.** In [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis]] story ''Way of the World'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} comes upon Clayface. Kara lets him have a couple of blows before showing him she isn't giving him a fair fight by freezing him solid, flying him to the edge of the atmosphere and letting go.--->'''Supergirl:''' I'm sorry, but you seem confused. Just 'cuz I let you land a few easy blows— that '''doesn't''' mean we're having a '''fair''' fight!** A few issues later, Silver Banshee challenges Kara. Kara drops a truck on Banshee.** In ''ComicBook/ManyHappyReturns'', second-rate villain Rebel looks forward to fight Supergirl... until Kara warns him that she's mad enough right now that she'll destroy him before he can blink if he bothers her.--->'''Supergirl:''' Look — Here's the problem. You've done some bad things, but I'm really, really upset right now. So much so that, honestly, I don't trust myself. And if you attack me or I attack you... I will hurt you. I'll hurt you worse than you've ever been hurt in your whole life. I can carve you up as soon as look at you. I can break you, boil you, freeze you. I can do things you can't imagine. Things I can't imagine, until I have to. And then I'll improvise. Part of me is hoping you will attack. And part of me is praying — for your sake, and my own peace of mind — that you don't. It's up to you.** ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'': Unsurprisingly, becoming a Red Lantern doesn't make Supergirl less reluctant to fight dirty. When she figures out the Diasporans can breathe in space, she smashes through their space ships. When she's fighting a ruthless and powerful alien parasite Kara resorts to every kind of underhanded tactics such like letting him bonding with her and then poisoning herself or tricking him into throwing her into the Sun.** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', Superman comes up with a complex plan to guarantee that Darkseid leaves his cousin alone which includes Supergirl faking her death in order to make Superman go berserk.** In a ''ComicBook/PowerGirl'' issue, villain Satanna replaces Kara's friend Terra's brain with Ultra-Humanite's. When a ''severely'' unhappy Power Girl barges into her lair, Satanna starts gloating and stops when Power Girl -who isn't in the mood- ''blasts her arm off'' and demands Terra's brain back.* In the beginning of the story ''The Return of Bruce Wayne'', Bruce Wayne gets stranded in the time of the cavemen and is eventually captured by a tribe led by Comicbook/VandalSavage. They intend to eat him, but wanting some entertainment, Vandal challenges Bruce to a duel, but cheats by first ordering his men to cut Bruce several times and then leave him tied up on the muddy ground overnight, reasoning that even if he survives, the blood loss, hunger, and infections will leave him too weak to fight (the tribe allows this because they ''want'' Bruce to lose, and praise Vandal for being smart). Fortunately, a young boy (who wears face paint that resembles Robin's mask) from a rival tribe frees Bruce and returns his utility belt, which happens to have antibiotics. While escaping, Bruce is able to defeat the tribesmen and Savage himself.* While still a skilled martial artist, ComicBook/{{Huntress}} is nowhere near top-tier, and supplements her fighting style with these sorts of tactics, from improvised weapons to [[GroinAttack crotch shots]]. If the situation is dire enough, she'll just fill her opponent with crossbow bolts rather than get into hand-to-hand combat.* ComicBook/{{Deadshot}} was once challenged to a duel by a fellow assassin, who established that they would draw on the count of three. Deadshot shoots her dead right after she says "one". -->'''Deadshot:''' You take the shot you have.* General Ching, the token Chinese Communist member of the Exiles, minor allies of the ComicBook/RedSkull nobody really liked, attempted to be this. His evil plan to kill ComicBook/CaptainAmerica? Shoot him in the back. Unfortunately for him, but very fortunately for Cap, the Skull was going through a period of BondVillainStupidity and stopped him.* Used by Creator/GailSimone to justify ComicBook/RedSonja's chainmail bikini: her near-nudity is distracting to male opponents and she has unmatched freedom of movement in most skirmishes. She dons full armor when it's appropriate, such as when leading an army or duelling Dark Annisia. ----